1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for the production of pipes by a helical winding of a strip of plastic material and including a stationary winding cage formed of a plurality of rod shaped members arranged between two parallel annular supporting disks and forming the cylindrical cage, of which rods at least a number is driven to rotate around their respective longitudinal axis in order to support a strip guided by a guiding unit onto the inner side of the cage to the desired diameter and to feed the strip in the direction of the winding and to join the meeting edges of the strip together.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A winding apparatus of the kind described above by means of which plastic strips or profiles are wound helically to stable relatively rigid pipes in situ e.g. in a shaft, and are simultaneously, i.e. during the process of the production of so called renovation pipes driven forwards into existing pipe conduits in need of repair have been known by applicant.
Although a number of the cage forming rods or rollers of this known apparatus already are driven in the strip feeding direction in order to thereby support the winding and feeding operation of the pipe, this solution is not fully satisfactory. At the one hand the known apparatus comprises an intrinsic guiding and driving mechanism which occupies a lot of space and at the other hand the frictional forces between the driven cage rods and the strip are utilized to a minor extent only.